31 July 2011

The combat hospital at Kandahar Airfield is among the most advanced treatment facilities to ever operate in a war zone. Roughly 70 percent of its patients come straight from the battlefield. In addition to U.S. and coalition service members, the hospital treats Afghans. For the staff, every day is spent working to keep death at bay. This video contains graphic images of war injuries. Viewer discretion advised. Video and story: The Virginian Pilot.

Pilot reporter Corinne Reilly and photographer Ross Taylor spent two weeks this spring in Afghanistan with the staff of the NATO hospital in Kandahar. This very well done story - first in a series - is a must-read.

He closes his eyes for a moment and rubs them. It’s been a while since he slept. “All I can say is we got 19 new traumas yesterday. Nothing is winding…”

He’s interrupted by the beeping of the pager that never leaves his side. He unclips it from his waist and reads the message.

“IED blast,” he says. “Three patients en route.”

* * *

A chance in hell, Part One | Inside a combat hospital in Afghanistan.

The doctors can hear the wailing before their patient is even in sight.

A second later, a flight medic bursts through the trauma department doors. His face is serious. He’s short of breath. Outside, corpsmen rush to unload a soldier from a military ambulance that carried him here from a Black Hawk. Two dozen doctors, nurses and surgeons have been awaiting their arrival.

“Who am I talking to?” the medic shouts.

“Here!” blurts Lt. Cmdr. Ron Bolen, the head of the hospital’s trauma department. He points to the Navy doctor leading the team that will examine the soldier first.

“OK, you’ve got tourniquets on both legs,” the medic gulps. “The right one is totally gone to at least the knee. He lost a lot of blood.”

The doctor hurriedly inquires about vital signs, fluids administered in the field, and the weapon that caused the explosion that did all this.

The next question would usually be whether the patient is conscious, but this time no one has to ask.

Outside, the wailing is getting louder.

It’s a Sunday morning. The soldier is being wheeled inside. Ashen and shaking, he asks Bolen if this is the day he’s going to die.

“Don’t lie to me,” he pleads.

Bolen looks the soldier hard in the eyes. “You’re not going to die,” he says calmly. “And I don’t lie.”

Someone counts to three and the soldier is lifted in one fluid motion from the stretcher to a trauma bed. Seven people are working on him now, ripping away dirty clothes, starting IVs to replace lost blood and calling out vital signs.

“Temp is 97.9!”

“BP is 135 over 65!”

“Pulse is 117!”

A doctor cuts the tourniquet off the leg that’s still intact and runs his finger down the sole of the pale foot. “Can you feel this?”

A few minutes later the soldier is in the operating room. He’s writhing now more than shaking. Through the moans, he’s mumbling three words over and over.

“This is bad. This is bad. This is bad.”

He keeps lifting his head, trying to get a look.

On the end of the bed, the last right boot he ever put on is lying at an angle that’s all wrong, a sweaty foot still inside. The calf above it is a shredded mess of uniform, flesh, dirt and grass. Nothing about it looks real.

Above that there is no discernible knee, just a thin stretch of filthy skin barely hanging onto what’s left of a thigh, which looks a lot like the mangled calf, except for one thing: Among the blood and mud, there is a little white inchworm, scrunching and straightening, slowly making its way across a bit of dying muscle.

Somehow it survived an explosion the soldier may not.

Around him, a dozen people are preparing for surgery. The room smells like damp earth, rubbing alcohol and blood.

“Hang in there one more minute, bud,” the anesthesiologist says, trying uselessly to soothe his patient. “Everything’s gonna be OK in just a minute.”

Helmand province, April 20, 2010. When he saw a Marine in his squad fall, then-Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Jake Emmott rushed into gunfire to reach him. While kneeling down tending to a second wounded Marine, Emmott was shot in the face.

When Emmott came to, blood was running from the entry wound on the side of his nose. He was choking on the blood and having difficulty speaking, but he refused morphine so he could direct the treatment of his Marines. He refused two stretchers, choosing to stagger to the helicopter on his own power so his wounded comrades in Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines, could be carried out.

A year later, Emmott, now an HM2, was presented with the Silver Star. Emmott was honored, along with fellow service members and caregivers, at the annual Navy Safe Harbor awards ceremony July 14 outside Washington.

Please take a moment to read the story about one of the Heroes you probably won't hear about on the news.

12 July 2011

At the American Veterans Center's 2008 conference, Major Chuck Ziegenfuss talks about the injuries he sustained in Iraq in 2005 and the inception of Project Valour-IT.

To date, Soldiers' Angels Project Valour-IT has supplied over 6,000 severely wounded Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines with adaptive laptops and other devices to aid their recovery and reintegration.

Your contribution will help keep our Wounded Warriors connected to the world as they heal. It will remind them they are NOT alone - that they still have something to contribute, they are still a vital part of this nation, and even though they may have lost parts of themselves they can never recover, though they may temporarily be feeling hopeless, helpless, even alone - they aren't.

Soldiers' Angels Germany is proud once again to be a member of the Marines Valour-IT blogging team, but all donations go into one fund and are used to provide Valour-IT technologies to members of all service branches.

Update: Artemis Retriever, fellow milblogger on the Marine Team, is now matching donations made to Project Valour-IT through the Marine Team - a great way to double your donation if you haven't given yet!

About Valour-IT
Project Valour-IT provides technology to service members recovering from serious injuries. Technology supplied includes:
- Voice-controlled and other adaptive Laptops allow wounded service members to maintain connections with the rest of the world during recovery.
- Wii Video Game Systems which are used as part of physical therapy program, and
- Personal GPS, to build self-confidence and independence by compensating for short-term memory loss and organizational challenges related to severe TBI and severe PTSD.

11 July 2011

- Sgt. 1st Class Leroy Petry, talking about the prosthetic which has replaced the hand blown off while throwing a grenade away from himself and two other Rangers.

WASHINGTON, DC – "There was a little bit of a meat skirt, for lack of better words, hanging around the edges. It was oozing. I could see the radius and ulna bone sticking up maybe about half an inch."

Sgt. 1st Class Leroy Petry, who will have the Medal of Honor placed around his neck July 12, 2011, by the president of the United States, recounted the moment after his hand was taken from him by a grenade during a May 26, 2008, combat operation in Afghanistan.

"It was vivid -- where I could see the black marks from where the burns were. And a little bit of the dirt and the smell of explosives. I sat up and I grabbed it. And it's a little strange," Petry said. "But this is what was in my mind: 'Why isn't this thing spraying off into the wind like in Hollywood?'"

After that, the seasoned Army Ranger -- who was at the time on his seventh deployment in support of combat operations both in Iraq and Afghanistan -- had to take charge of his own situation, and of the young Soldiers whom he led.

Read about SFC Petry's injury and recovery, and the actions which led to him becoming the ninth servicemember to be awarded the Medal of Honor for actions in Afghanistan or Iraq.

That's what the family of the double amputee wants people to know as they mourn his passing. Hackemer, a veteran of the Iraq War, died Friday when he fell from a roller coaster at Darien Lake Theme Park Resort. He was 29.

"I have no doubt in my mind that he died happy," his sister, Jody Hackemer, said Saturday as the family gathered at Hackemer's parents' farmhouse in Gowanda. "I know that's hard to comprehend. But really, he was doing what he wanted to do. And that's the important thing."

The family does not believe the Genesee County theme park did anything wrong in letting the wounded veteran on the ride, the sister said.

"We in no shape or form hold Darien Lake accountable," the sister said. "They weren't negligent. It's nobody's fault. It was an accident. James thought it wasn't an issue."
...

He and members of his family had just arrived at the theme park about an hour earlier for a weekend family trip.

Hackemer's sister, Roxanne Luffred, had driven from her home in Maryland with her family and Hackemer's two young daughters, who live most of the time with their mother in Newport News, Va.

Hackemer had custody of the girls -- Kaelynn, 4, and Addison, 3 -- for two weeks every other month. The girls arrived Thursday, and he was thrilled to be spending time with them, his sister said.

He was also determined to get on his favorite ride, the Ride of Steel, at the amusement park, a favorite hangout from his youth. He hadn't been back to the theme park since before he lost his legs in Iraq three years ago.

Hackemer was not wearing his prosthetic legs when he got on the roller coaster, his sister said. He had been getting around the theme park using a wheelchair. Jody Hackemer also said she did not know whether park attendants questioned whether it was safe for her brother to get on.

"I would imagine that they would have and did," she said. But that wouldn't have stopped her brother, she added.

"James was very adamant and strong-willed -- very strong-willed. He knew what he wanted. He's really hard to say no to. I can attest to that."
...

But the wounded veteran's family took comfort in knowing that Hackemer had savored every moment of his life since surviving a bomb blast in March 2008.

He nearly died twice as doctors raced to save his life, his family recalled.

"They actually told us he would never wake up," Jody Hackemer said. "And if he did, they said he would be a complete vegetable because of a traumatic brain injury."

After several weeks, James Hackemer proved his doctors wrong. He has spent the last three years doing physical therapy and learning how to get around with a wheelchair and on prosthetic legs.

The wounded veteran was missing both legs and his left hip.

Just two weeks ago, he went to Walter Reed Army Medical Center to be fitted for new prosthetics.

In the meantime, he moved in with his parents in Gowanda. He bought a hand-operated lawnmower and would cut the grass on his family's property. He also enjoyed using a hand-pedaled bicycle and spending time with friends and family.

"He was living and relishing it," his sister said. "He had no regrets of what happened to him. Life was what it was. He had such a great attitude moving forward."

She recalled that her brother was deeply upset when Alex Knapp, another soldier who had lost his legs in the same bomb blast, died in October. He suffered a heart attack after playing sled hockey, which had become his passion after he was wounded.

She said Knapp's death parallels her brother's.

"He was doing what he wanted," she said of her brother. "He wanted nothing but this. He was doing what he loved. That's what gives me peace."

Please take a moment to watch this video of the Memorial Day "Ride to Remember" as almost 200 motorcyclists drive past the Hackemer home near Gowanda, NY in James' honor in May of 2008, just two months after he was hurt. We know this caring community will lift James' family up again during this difficult time.

Our love and prayers go out to James' family and friends. His memory will live on forever in our hearts.

07 July 2011

You can make a donation by clicking here. Thanks to everyone who has already donated!

If you're a blogger, you can join the Team Marines here. But remember, we don't accept applications - only commitments.

About Project Valour-IT
Project Valour-IT provides technology to service members recovering from serious injuries. Technology supplied includes:
- Voice-controlled and other adaptive Laptops allow wounded service members to maintain connections with the rest of the world during recovery.
- Wii Video Game Systems which are used as part of physcial therapy program, and
- Personal GPS, to build self-confidence and independence by compensating for short-term memory loss and organizational challenges related to severe TBI and severe PTSD.

06 July 2011

On July 1, 2010, Cpl. Larry Harris Jr. of the 3/1 Marines was on patrol in Helmand province when his unit was ambushed and fellow Marine Lance Cpl. Jake Henry was wounded.

While carrying LCpl. Henry to safety, Harris stepped on an IED. He took the brunt of the blast and died instantly. Henry survived.

Last week, on the first anniversary of his death, many of his squad members gathered at his gravesite at Fort Logan National Cemetery in Denver to pay their respects.

"Not only was he my best friend. He was the best Marine I ever knew," [Harris' squad leader Sgt. Ian] Gilbert said to a crowd gathered in a shelter on the cemetery grounds.

Harris' squad, friends and family then walked to his gravesite. They released balloons, prayed at the headstone and left flowers.

"I love the guy, and you look around, and you see these guys, and they all loved him too," Gilbert said. "And that's why they are here."

Cpl. Harris was awarded the Silver Star for his heroic actions on that day. His other personal service awards include the Purple Heart, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.

03 July 2011

The 2011 Valour-IT Blogging Fundraising Competition kicked off on Friday and will continue until July 14. As always, the "competition" is between blogging teams representing the 4 service branches - Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines - to raise funds for Valour-IT. All donations go into one fund and will of course be used for members of all services.

Readers of this blog are familiar with Soldiers' Angels Project Valour-IT, which provides laptop computers and other electronic devices to wounded service members recovering at major military medical centers in the United States.

And as you can imagine, this project is very close to our hearts. We see our guys as they arrive in Germany directly from the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan on a daily basis. And as we watch them leave for the U.S. three times each week, we take comfort in the belief that their fellow Americans back home will take care of them and make sure their sacrifices have not been forgotten.

Your contribution will help keep them connected to the world as they heal. It will remind them they are NOT alone - that they still have something to contribute, they are still a vital part of this nation, and even though they may have lost parts of themselves they can never recover, though they may temporarily be feeling hopeless, helpless, even alone - they aren't.

Soldiers' Angels Germany is proud once again to be a member of the Marines Valour-IT blogging team, this year led by Wollf of Howling at the Moon. (Thanks for taking this on, Wollf!)

Please note "Marine Corps Team" on your check so we get credit for your donation, because we want to WIN this thing!

Thank you and Semper Fi!

About Valour-IT
Project Valour-IT provides technology to service members recovering from serious injuries. Technology supplied includes:
- Voice-controlled and other adaptive Laptops allow wounded service members to maintain connections with the rest of the world during recovery.
- Wii Video Game Systems which are used as part of physcial therapy program, and
- Personal GPS, to build self-confidence and independence by compensating for short-term memory loss and organizational challenges related to severe TBI and severe PTSD.

Hundreds of people waved flags at a parade, then stood in the wilting heat for several hours Wednesday to honor retired Marine Cpl. Zach Briseno, 25, as he was presented with a new house in northwest Fort Worth.

"To see this many people show up, it's amazing," said a visibly moved Briseno, a 2003 graduate of Castleberry High School whose legs were blown off by a roadside bomb in Fallujah, Iraq, in 2007.Helping A Hero, a nonprofit based in Houston, awarded its 25th handicapped-accessible house, and its first in North Texas, to Briseno, the father of a 5-year-old boy named Eli.

Among the many people who came to welcome Briseno was Mayor Mike Moncrief and retired Marine Capt. Dan Moran, who was grievously wounded and burned in Iraq in 2006 and received a house in Houston from Helping A Hero.

"What you have done," Moran told the crowd, "is make an investment in Zach. Yes, he's given much. But you have made an impact on his future. This isn't charity. You are going to get a return on this investment."

We're so happy for you, Zach! Wishing you and Elijah many, many years of joy in your new home.

If you know a wounded veteran in Texas who deserves an adaptive home, please contact Helping A Hero.

PASADENA, Calif., June 30, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As the number of American Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines suffering battlefield wounds continues to grow, today's economic challenges continue to squeeze military support nonprofits. Soldiers' Angels Project Valour-IT -- which has supplied over 6,000 severely wounded Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines with adaptive laptops and other devices to aid their recovery and reintegration -- is addressing that squeeze with a fundraising technique it pioneered: online competition.

Held July 1-14, the Valour-IT fundraising competition will draw on blogging, Facebook, Twitter and other social media to raise money and awareness for the needs of wounded troops. Divided among four "virtual teams" named in honor of U.S. military service branches, participants will also use flyers, word-of-mouth and traditional media outlets to spread the word. The goal is to raise at least $100,000, which will meet increased demand for Valour-IT services through October 2011.

"Project Valour-IT changes lives," says Soldiers' Angels founder Patti Patton-Bader. "Wounded heroes report that being able to use a laptop helps them feel whole again. Physical therapists are actually designing therapy sessions around Wii Sports! And something as normal as a handheld GPS reduces stress and helps a hero cope. It's just amazing what this project does!"

Each of the devices Valour-IT supplies helps restore confidence and independence for a wounded hero. Voice-activated laptops reconnect the wounded with the world and develop self-confidence by showing soldiers they can continue to be engaged and productive despite their injuries. Servicemembers also use the laptops to research their medical care or prepare for a post-military career. Physical therapists report Wii Sports is extremely motivational and beneficial when used in physical therapy settings, and wounded personnel with short-term memory loss due to TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) and severe PTSD use GPS systems to keep from getting lost or disoriented when they move on to more independent living.

For more information about the fundraising competition, email campaign@soldiersangels.org or visit www.soldiersangels.org to donate. All funds raised go directly to wounded troops with no overhead costs removed, and requests for support are vetted through case managers.

About Soldiers' Angels
Established in 2003, Soldiers' Angels is a volunteer-based, award-winning 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing aid and comfort to members of the United States Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard, as well as veterans and military families. For more information, see www.soldiersangels.org. Tax ID# 20-0583415 CFC #25131